Hamburg (ots) - During the closing lunch of the "Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe", which took place in the Chamber of Commerce on 10 & 11 October 2014, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, emphasised the importance of economic cooperation between the People's Republic of China and Europe in the presence of the Chinese premier Li Keqiang and four of his ministers: "As China's weight in the world has grown enormously, so has the untapped potential of the EU-China Partnership. A whirlwind financial crisis has shown how interdependent we are, and global problems requiring global responses have multiplied. The EU and China need each other today in a more holistic way than ever before."

The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, paid tribute to the conference: "The 'Hamburg Summit' is a very important Sino-German platform for figures from the worlds of business, politics and science. Ideas are generated and contacts are established here, with a view to making Sino-German relations even stronger. Few places in Germany and Europe have cultivated such an intimate relationship with China as Hamburg." This is well suited to the Sino-German 'Framework for Action' entitled, "Promoting innovation together", as it not only revolves around research, technology and economics, but "is also a reflection of a modern educational and social system and a functioning constitutional state."

The President of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Fritz Horst Melsheimer, came to a very positive conclusion at the end of the conference: "After numerous meetings and discussions at our conference, I am sure that China will tackle the drastic and dolorous economic reforms agreed in 2013 and will emerge strengthened." He also advocated the promotion of improved mutual understanding and strong mutual trust at all levels. "China and Europe have a great deal in common regarding economic aspects. China and Europe should therefore promote the development of an open, multilateral, rules-based, global economic and trade order together." President Melsheimer thanked the Chinese Premier for his visit and in particular commended this visit to the "Hamburg Summit", which this year took place for the sixth time, enjoying a record attendance of more than 600 participants.

The previous day EU Trade Commissioner, Karel De Gucht, explicitly welcomed the Chinese government's reform efforts in his speech, commenting: "We applaud the government's intention to move to a more open regime for foreign direct investment, including in services sectors. He also praised China's commitment regarding the decisive role of the market for their economy. Making real change is never easy, De Gucht continued. China and its people can be sure of Europe's support on this journey. With regard to Europe, adopting a stance contrary to that of current populism, De Gucht called for keeping the markets open, as Europe's economy can only regain momentum through international trade and investment.